2Day in #OpenGov 8/16/2012

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Policy Intern Adeeb Sahar wrote this post.

Here is your serving of today’s transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and local events involving open government.

NEWS ROUNDUP:

International

  • Indonesia president says corruption threatens economic growth: Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the rise of corruption in parliament threatens economic growth in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. (TrustLaw)
  • Spain’s Draft Law on Transparency Disappoints Civil Society NGOs: The largest European country lacking a law that mandates government transparency and public access to information finally published draft law to promote transparency and requested public feedback, however it falls short of standards already set by the Human Rights Tribunals. (techPresident)

Government

  • Lodi, Galt city councils will continue to follow open meeting law: Even though the state of California has suspended parts of a law requiring cities to post agendas 72 hours before a meeting, both the Lodi and Galt city councils have agreed they will continue doing so in the name of transparency. (Lodi News-Sentinel)
  • Pentagon earmarks $9B to improve energy use: The Defense Department plans to spend $9 billion between now and 2017 on improving the way it uses energy. It plans to spend $1.6 billion in 2013. (Federal News Radio)
  • Markell signs 3 bills that increase government transparency: Gov. Jack Markell (D-DE) signed three pieces of legislation aimed to increase transparency: HB 300 requires prompt reporting of third-party spending on campaign ads, HB 310 increases the penalties for late filing of elections disclosure reports from $50 a month to $50 a day, and SB 185 requires enhanced disclosures for lobbyists regarding the issues they’re lobbying. (WGMD)
  • HUD automates records management to better handle FOIA requests: The new centralized system enables users in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to quickly access millions of documents, respond significantly faster to FOIA requests, and collaborate with other agencies regarding such requests. (Government Computer News)

RELEVANT BILLS INTRODUCED:

  • None.

HAPPENING TODAY 8/16/12:

  • None.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES:

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